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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22477963">Something Wicked</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sad_Hatter/pseuds/The_Sad_Hatter'>The_Sad_Hatter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dracula - Bram Stoker, Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, H.G Wells - Fandom, Macbeth - Shakespeare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Basically YA novel with extreme adult content, Death, Eldritch Terrors, Fantasy, Gore, It's Teen Fiction for grown ups, Magic, Multi, Mystery, Nightmares, Spooky, Supernatural - Freeform, Thriller, Vampires, Witches, extreme violence, fairytales - Freeform, gothic horror</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:55:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22477963</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sad_Hatter/pseuds/The_Sad_Hatter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For centuries Strangewood has been a place of unease to all who venture there. If you don’t belong in Strangewood, something deep in your bones will let you know that the quaint little town that’s nestled deep in the woods isn't safe. If Strangewood decides that you do belong, you’ll discover a world of wonder and of magic. You’ll discover that every nightmare comes from somewhere; they come from Strangewood.</p>
<p>As far as Katherine Knight is concerned, it's a small town filled with bad memories. Leaving for bigger things was the best decision she ever made, even if the big city lights were so bright they were almost blinding. When tragedy befalls what is left of her family, she knows she needs to put her own life aside and move back into her childhood home. She doesn’t know the truth about Strangewood and the things that lurk in the shadowy forest; all Kat knows is that this little town she thought she was free of is now her future.</p>
<p>Her return is just one incident in a sequence of unfolding events that are changing the nature of magic. Good has always been the victor in the eternal battle of dark vs light, but something wicked is rising in Strangewood, something that will change everything.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something Wicked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Death is not always the end of the road; death is not always the absence of life. Leaves. They spring forth from the branches of the trees they are born from and decorate the forest. When they die they fall to the ground, discarded by the thing that once gave them life. Shrivelled and wrinkled, coarse and breakable. And yet, there is life in them still; there is joy. All it takes is a gust of wind, a slight breeze or a forceful gale to lift them from the cold earth and carry them away, up into the air where they will dance. Oh, how they dance. Spinning and twirling with such grace, such freedom. Only when they have left life behind and been cut off from their roots, only once they have lost their connection to what gave them life, can they be free. Only then can they truly dance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Have you ever watched the leaves dance through the forest? Katherine Knight has. Somewhere in the past she has her face pressed against a window pane, eyes darting around as she watches the leaves prance past. Somewhere deep in history, a little girl with a whole life ahead of her is standing on a creaky chair, little fingers gripping at the window ledge as she peers into the forest. Eyes that shine bright with curiosity and awe dim as terror fills them as the piercing voice of her mother rings through the air and bursts the bubble of tranquillity.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Katherine! Get down from there at once!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ah, Madame Knight. Madame, not Mrs, not if you value your life. You might be tempted to assume that’s parental concern in Madame Knight’s tone, a worried mother scared of seeing her baby fall down. Don’t be fooled by her. Madame Knight is not a kind and loving woman; not half as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. If you can get past the statuesque figure, the flawless alabaster skin and the tumbling waves of soft golden hair, then you might start to notice the signs of the evil within. You only have to glance at her emerald eyes to see the cruelty in them, and sooner rather than later you’ll realise that rosebud mouth is perpetually twisted into a judgmental sneer. A sneer that is more often than not directed at her daughter for not behaving how little girls ought to behave. Quiet and meek, darling and sweet. It was the mantra Katherine was ordered to live by.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Katherine, like all children, didn’t want to live by rules or be stuffed into a box. She still had her sense of wonder and desire for adventure, no matter how hard her mother tried to scold it out of her. But all children grow up, and the young woman that Katherine Knight grows into is a far cry from the curious little girl who peers through windows to watch the leaves dance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I’m getting ahead of myself again, aren’t I? You’ll have to forgive me, it’s an unfortunate habit of mine. For all my knowledge, the concept of time and the way it moves is still confusing to me. It’s painful to tell a story from the beginning when you know how it plays out. I didn’t always know; if I had then there is so much I would have done differently. I guess we can all say that though, can’t we?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is the story of Katherine Knight, of a town called Strangewood. This is a tale of magic and fate, of heroes and villains. This is the story of something wicked. I may know how the story unfolds, but not how it ends. That is something we shall have to discover together.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sit up a little straighter, make sure your pillows are fluffed and the lights are bright enough. People have such bad habits when they read, and I would know. After all, I am The Librarian.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading this prologue, I know it's not my usual brand of stuff so it won't pick up a lot of interest but I am super excited about it. It still falls under the jurisdiction of fanwork because there will be characters from classic gothic novels (like Dracula) but it's also still an original story. </p>
<p>I know it's early on so I'm not expecting Kudos yet, but if you feel like dropping a comment telling me what you thought it will probably make my whole year.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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